BC Rugby – Vancouver, BC – March 6, 2019:  The 2019 Vancouver Sevens Invitational is set to take place at UBC’s Gerald McGavin Rugby Centre on March 7-8, bringing together some of the best young Rugby Sevens talent from across Canada and beyond.  The two-day tournament will be attended by some 46 teams across 6 divisions, creating the perfect grass-roots build up to the HSBC Canada Sevens tournament being held at BC Place this weekend.

This year’s VSI is once again headlined by the blossoming NextGen divisions, populated with male and female University and Academy teams full of some of the most promising athletes in the country.  Having been launched in 2018 with great success, the NextGen divisions have grown in popularity, attracting even more entries in their second year.  The division also provides a vital stepping stone in the pathway for young players transitioning from Junior to Senior Rugby.  Completing the line-up, the U18 and U16 divisions continue to give meaningful competition to many exciting future prospects from BC and other Provinces.

BC Rugby’s NextGen Sevens and Elite Youth Sevens programs have contributed a total of 14 teams to the competition, ensuring that home fans will have plenty to cheer about at almost every stage of the tournament.  The BC NextGen Men’s Sevens team, who came third in their division at the Las Vegas Invitational last weekend, are defending champions and Head Coach Sean White has selected a team brimming with exciting potential.  Not to be outdone, the BC NextGen Women’s Sevens team are out to go one better in 2019, having been pipped in the final last year by UVic Vikes.  Head Coach Tony La Carte has selected a talented team, with several returning players keen to prove they are every bit as dangerous as their male counterparts.

The Elite Youth Sevens Boys’ and Girls Programs have produced one of their most blossoming years yet, by raw numbers alone.  The three U18 Girls’ teams along with Rugby Canada’s Development Academy, who have been competing in the Elite Sevens Series since Fall 2018, will use day 1 of the VSI tournament to complete the final round of that competition before facing stiff competition from Alberta, Manitoba, Washington and Thunder Rugby.  The program has also developed three U16 Girls’ teams, including a number of impressive players who represented BC in last summer’s U16 Western Canadian Championships.  The BC Elite Youth Sevens Boys’ program will also post a total of six teams across the U18 and U16 divisions.  After the demands of last week’s Las Vegas Invitational, Head Coach Adam Roberts has had to ring several changes across each team, but the depth of the 2018/19 program ensures that there will still be dozens of talented young players eager to show what they are made of.  To see the most recent rosters for BC Rugby’s NextGen and Elite Youth Sevens teams, visit the Sevens Rep Team Hub.

Rugby fans and members of the public are encouraged to attend this 2-day tournament to watch the exciting Rugby Sevens action and cheer on these talented young players.  Games will take place from 9:00am each day with almost non-stop action across three fields.

For those unable to make it out to UBC, scores will be updated regularly throughout the day on the tournament webpage.  Don’t forget to tune in to the live-stream direct from Field 2  on Friday, March 8th, where you will be able to see action from all six divisions as they build to a climactic set of finals. Schedules, teams, score updates and a link to the live stream can all be found in one place – bcrugby.com/vsi.

Finally, remember to follow our BC Rugby Twitter feed to receive pitch-side updates from the 2019 VSI, along with our Instagram feed and Facebook page for summaries of each day’s action.

Tournament website – bcrugby.com/vsi BC Rugby Team Rosters for the 2019 Vancouver Sevens Invitational Visit the BC Rugby Rep Teams Sevens Hub for all of the Rosters from this year’s programs Find out more about a BC Rugby Sevens Program NextGen Sevens Elite Youth Sevens

More information about BC Rugby

The British Columbia Rugby Union, commonly known as BC Rugby, is the governing body for Rugby in British Columbia and is a Provincial Union of Rugby Canada, the national governing body. Representing over 7,500 individuals registered through around 60 Member Clubs and Associations across the Province, BC Rugby leads and manages the sport with the aim to grow participation and develop excellence in all games of Rugby and in all facets of the sport.

 

Web: bcrugby.com

Twitter: twitter.com/bcrugbyunion

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